A Friend and a Photo
by xMissyMaex
Summary: Katie found it hard to not blame herself for her boyfriend being taken. But she finds comfort in someone not so different from her. OC and Ben.


**Soo since I'm not sure where I want to go with my other story, this idea came up and I decided to write it! Not sure how good it is, but I just kinda had to write it so I didn't forget it. Reviews are greatly appreciated as they help me get better for in the future ^_^ enjoy!**

A gentle breeze brushed against Katie's cheek as she stared intently at the sky. It was beautiful; there were tints of pink, orange, yellow, and even red swirled together…she never stopped to appreciate the sky this much before the attacks. Even though it was nice that everyone in the 2nd mass was basically each other's family, she liked the feeling of the quiet, and solitude of having some time to herself, just like now. The weather had cooled off quite a bit from the day before, so Dr. Anne had forced her to dig out one of the warmer coats that she had brought along with her. Her reason being that in a world like this, no one needed a cold to top it all off…that and the fact that she was already quite backed up with other patients.

Katie let out a long sigh and raised her hands from her lap. Anne was right to make her take out the coat, as her hands were started to shake lightly from the low temperature. She took time to look over the coat, and realize she never really remembered buying this. Maybe she wore it a few times, but it seemed odd. It wasn't anything she would wear, it was too big for her, and it didn't even smell like her much either. She dug her hands into the slightly frayed pockets on the side and felt some sort of paper in the right pocket. She slowly pulled her hand out, grasping the slip of paper and looked at the blank side. Her name was on half of the back, something that made her heart race slightly. Katie unfolded the strange paper, and turned it over…it was a photograph. Then it hit her: the jacket wasn't hers at all…it was _his_. Liam's. He had always let her wear his coat, and she had forgotten to return it to him; she hadn't even realized it was his. Then there was the photo, which showed Katie with her arms around Liam's neck, his on her waist. Both teens were wearing huge smiles.

Katie couldn't help but remember when this was taken: a non formal dance at their high school, and someone, maybe one of their friends, had taken the picture of them in the middle of a dance. She closed her eyes, taking in the picture and how it seemed to represent how things seemed absolutely perfect before any of the attacks had happened. A smile slipped through her lips, but quickly turned to a frown as a tear slipped down her cheek. All this time she had thought she was doing so well without him. Sure she missed him, but if she kept herself busy enough she really didn't have to think about it. This picture and the fact that she was wearing his jacket, something of his, something that _smelled_ like him, made all of those feelings she had been desperately trying to hold in flood out. Tears now streamed down her face as she let out quiet sobs that echoed slightly through the night. Along with the sad feelings also came guilt; from feeling like she did nothing to stop the skitter from taking Liam…she just hid under the bleachers and did _nothing_. She missed him so much.

A slight creak of a door rang out through the night, followed by the light sound of feet on gravel.  
>"Nice night, huh?" came a voice quite close to her. Katie peered out from where her face was hidden in the jacket. Ben Mason was smiling but soon realized Katie wasn't. "Were you crying?" she shifted herself so she was slightly turned away from him, not wanting him to see her cry. The picture slipped from her hands and gently floated the ground. Ben bent down to pick it up, and studied the picture. "Whose thi-" he turned over the photo, reading Katie's and Liam's names on the back. "Oh." He stood for a second before turning to her and sitting closely by her. He was quiet for a little while before hesitantly putting his arm around her. Katie laid her head on his shoulder, glad someone came out here with her. "I know things may seem bad now, and that they won't get better, but they will, ok? It sounds like the right thing to say but it's true." Katie nodded slightly, finding it a bit hard to think that.<br>"I know, I just miss him. He wasn't just my boyfriend, but my best friend. I went through nearly everything with him. And I can't help but feel I should've and could've done something to stop that skitter from taking him, but I just didn't." She ran a hand through her slightly tousled hair, and wiped her eyes. Ben looked at her.  
>"You can't blame yourself for this, you know. It wasn't your fault they took him, and I know he wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger for him." He slid the picture back into my hand. "Hal went through that whole stage while I was gone. So did my dad. They blamed themselves for me being taken when that wasn't the case. It's just easier to blame yourself when something like this happens. But you can't do it." That seemed to stick with her. She hadn't really thought about what the impact of Ben being gone had been on his family, but now she knew. They had gotten him back though, and that's exactly what she needed to do.<p>

Ben turned slightly and glanced up at the sky. "Nice night. Seems kind of out of place." Katie looked to Ben, and then wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. She couldn't help but think of how nice it was to have a friend like him in a time and place like this.  
>"Thank you." She whispered. She slightly raised her hand to look at the photo, and found only a smile on her face this time, not tears.<p> 


End file.
